Cargo transferring vessel and method

ABSTRACT

A cargo transferring vessel and method for transferring cargo between a small ship or lighter and a larger ship. The cargo transferring vessel is capable of being partially submerged to various depths to permit a large ship to float over the center portion of its hull and is then capable of increasing its buoyance to bring wheels of wheel assemblies on the center portion of its hull into contact with the hull of the larger ship to eliminate relative pitching, rolling and up and down movements between the larger ship and the cargo transferring vessel which might be caused by waves or rough water. A stabilizing apparatus is provided on the side of the hull of the cargo transferring vessel for exerting a downward force on the hull of the smaller ship for assisting in preventing relative movement between the smaller ship and the combined cargo handling vessel and the larger ship. The wheel assemblies are capable of conforming to the shape of the hull of the larger ship and they permit the cargo transferring vessel to be located at various positions along the hull of the larger ship. The cargo transferring vessel and method permit the transfer of cargo between a large and a small ship without the undesirable pitching, rolling and up and down movements between the large ship, the smaller ship and the cargo transferring vessel.

States Patent 1 1 CARGQ TRANSFERRING VESSEL AND METHOD [76] lnventor:Robert F. Cecce, 8320 Verona Dr.,

[52] US. Cl 214/13, l14/43.5, 212/3, 214/152 [51] Int. Cl. B65g 67/58[58] Field of Search 214/12, 13, 14, 152; 114/45, 43.5; 212/3 [56]References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 738,084 9/1903 Titcomb 214/13779,852 l/l905 Holzapfel 214/13 X 1,292,852 l/l9l9 Musuer 214/131,300,954 4/1919 Gray 114/45 X 1,617,990 2/1927 Donnelly 114/452,379.685 7/1945 Crandall 114/45 3,104,766 9/1963 Sasadi 214/14 PrimaryExaminerFrank E. Werner Attorney, Agent, or FirmMichael W. York [1113,826,384 [451 .iuly30,1974

[5 7 ABSTRACT A cargo transferring vessel and method for transfer ringcargo between a small ship or lighter and a larger ship. The cargotransferring vessel is capable of being partially submerged to variousdepths to permit a large ship to float over the center portion of itshull and is then capable of increasing its buoyance to bring wheels ofwheel assemblies on the center portion of its hull into contact with thehull of the larger ship to eliminate relative pitching, rolling and upand down movements between the larger ship and the cargo transferringvessel which might be caused by waves or rough water. A stabilizingapparatus is provided on the side of the hull of the cargo transferringvessel for exerting a downward force on the hull of the smaller ship forassisting in preventing relative movement between the smaller ship andthe combined cargo handling vessel and the larger ship. The wheelassemblies are capable of conforming to the shape of the hull of thelarger ship and they permit the cargo transferring vessel to be locatedat various positions along the hull of the larger ship. The cargotransferring vessel and method permit the transfer of cargo between alarge and a small ship without the undesirable pitching, rolling and upand down movements between the large ship, the smaller ship and thecargo transferring vessel.

9 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures Pmmmmamm EEC v FEG.5

1 CARGO TRANSFERRING VESSEL AND METHOD BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Inmany instances it is necessary to transfer cargo from small ships orlighters to larger ships or to transfer cargo from larger ships tolighters due to the absence of adequate clocking facilities for thelarger ships. The transfer of cargo between large and small ships hasbeen accomplished in various manners in the past. One way in which suchtransfer has been accomplished is through the use of cargo handlingequipment on board the larger ship. This method of transferring cargo isinefficient and expensive since the on-board cargo handling gear on thelarger ship is idle for the majority of time and since usually it isnecessary to provide separate cargo handling gear to load or unloadcargo at various locations on the ship. The cargo handling equipment mayalso be located on the smaller ship or the lighter. However, the smallsize of the ship places very definite limits on the capacity of thecargo handling gear which in most instances precludes the efficient andpractical transfer of cargo in this manner.

Another method of transferring cargo between large and small ships hasbeen through the use of a separate ship or vessel which has the cargohandling equipment. This method has several advantages over the previousmethods. It eliminates the need for inefficient and expensive cargohandling equipment on the larger ships and it eliminates any necessityfor the smaller ships to carry any cargo handling equipment. The cargohandling vessels or boats used with this method have had a number ofconfigurations. Some cargo handling vessels have been designed to belocated adjacent to and between the bigger and the smaller ship. Anexample of such a cargo handling ship or vessel is disclosed in therecently issued U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,405. Other cargo handling ships orvessels have been designed to be partially submersible to permit aportion of the hull of the vesselto be located below the bottom of theship which is to be loaded or unloaded. Such vessels or apparatus havebeen known for some time and an example of such a vessel is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 719,517.

In spite of the advantages associated with the use of separate cargohandling ships or vessels there are problems associated with their usewhich have limited their effectiveness in the past. One major problem isthat if the water is rough or if there are waves, the large ship, thelighter and the cargo transferring vessel will most probably all bepitching, rolling and moving up and down in the water in relation toeach other. This, of course, makes the safe and efficient transfer ofcargo extremely difficult since it is quite possible for one of theships to move upward or the cargo vessel to move downward in such amanner that the cargo may be smashed against the deck of one of theships. In addition, it is extremely difficult to attach cargo to thecargo transferring apparatus under such conditions. Even if the cargovessel is moored alongside the larger ship and the lighter this cannotprevent this upward and downward movement and some of the pitching androlling.

It has been proposed in the past to transfer cargo from a comparitivelylarge ship to a smaller ship by raising the larger ship out of the waterthrough the use of a pontoon or pontoons which are used to lift thelarger ship. Transfer of the cargo is then effected by opening doors orports in the sides or the bottom of the hull of the larger ship andpermitting the cargo to fall into the smaller shipv Such a cargotransfer system is disclosed in U.S. pat. No. 779,852. This type ofcargo transfer system will eliminate relative pitching and up and downmovement between the pontoon or pontoons and the larger ship, but notbetween the smaller and the combined large ship and pontoon structure.The type of cargo transfer system proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 779,852 hasa number of disadvantages. This system is limited to the transfer ofcargo from relatively small ships since the buoyancy requirements toraise large ships would require the pontoon structure to beprohibitively large. In addition, this system is only suitable for thetransfer of cargo through openings in the sides or in the bottom of thehull of the large ship and few if any modern ships have such cargotransferring openings or ports. Furthermore, this system does not permittransfer of cargo from the smaller ship to the larger ship.

The method and cargo transferring vessel of this invention overcomesthese disadvantages associated with other transferring methods orsystems and provides a cargo transferring vessel and method whicheliminate most if not all relative movement between the larger ship, thecargo transferring vessel and the smaller ship when cargo transfer istaking place. The cargo transferring vessel and method of this inventionalso eliminate any need for cargo handling equipment on board the largeor the small ship and there is no need to lift the large ship out of thewater. Thecargo handling vessel of this invention is also capable ofunloading or loading cargo at various locations along the hull of thelarger ship.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to cargotransferring vessels and methods for transferring cargo between a smallship and a larger ship and more particularly to cargo transferringvessels and methods in which the cargo transferring vessel is capable ofdecreasing its buoyancy to permit a portion of the hull of the cargotransferring vessel to be located beneath the hull of the larger ship. 1

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cargo transferringvessel and method for transferring cargo between a larger ship and asmaller ship which can greatly reduce or eliminate relative motionbetween the larger ship and the cargo transferring vessel when cargotransfer is being effected.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cargo transferringvessel and method for transferring cargo between a larger ship and asmaller ship which can reduce or eliminate relative motion between thesmaller ship, the cargo transferring vessel and the larger ship whencargo transfer is being effected.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a cargotransferring vessel and method for transferring cargo between a largership and a smaller ship which can eliminate the need for on-board cargotransferring apparatus on the larger or the smaller ship.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a cargotransferring vessel and method for transferring cargo between a largership and a smaller ship which can permit the safe and efficient transferof cargo between larger ships and smaller ships even though the watermay be rough.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a cargotransferring vessel and method for transferring cargo between 'a largership and a smaller ship in which relative movement between the cargotransferring vessel and the larger ship is reduced or eliminated bysubmerging a portion of the hull of the cargo transferring vesselunderneath the hull of the larger ship and contacting the hull of thelarger ship without the need to have sufficient buoyancy to appreciablyraise the larger ship.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a cargotransferring vessel and method which can permit the cargo transferringvessel to contact the hull of the larger ship to prevent relativemovement between the cargo transferring vessel and the larger shipwithout damaging the hull of the larger ship.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cargotransferring vessel and method for transferring cargo between a largership and a smaller ship which can readily permit cargo to be transferredat various locations along the hull of the larger ship even though theshape and dimensions of the hull of the larger ship may differ at thevarious transfer locations.

The present invention provides a cargo transferring vessel and method inwhich a variably submersible cargo transferring vessel is provided thathas a portion thereof which is variably submergible below the bottom ofthe hull of a large ship in order that means for contacting and variablyconforming to the bottom of the hull of the large vessel located on aportion of the hull of the cargo transferring vessel can be brought intocontact with the bottom of the hull of the large vessel to preventrelative movement between the cargo transferr'ing vessel'and the largeship. The cargo transferring vessel also has means for exerting adownward force against a smaller ship to prevent relative movementbetween the smaller ship and the cargo transferring vessel to assist inpermitting transfer of cargo between the large ship and the smaller shipwithout undesirable relative motion between the larger ship, the smallership and the cargo transferring vessel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be hereinafter morefully described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of thecargo transferring vessel ofthe present invention with its cargo transferring equipment in thestowed or non-transfer position;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the cargo transferring vessel of thepresent invention taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view partly broken away of a portion of thestructure illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a portion of the cargo transferring vesselof the present invention taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the cargo transferring vessel illustratedin FIG. 2 with its cargo transferring equipment in its operativeposition and with the cargo transferring vessel in position to transfercargo from a larger ship to a smaller ship;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a large ship illustrating how thecargo transferring vessel of the present invention can be located atvarious locations along its hull to transfer cargo between the largership and a smaller ship; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view, partly in section, of a portion of a wheelassembly of the structure illustrated in FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to thefigures, the cargo transferring vessel of this invention is illustratedand is designated generally by the number 10. FIGS. 1 through 4illustrate the cargo transferring vessel 10 with its cargo transferringapparatus 11 in its stowed or non-transferring position. The cargotransferring vessel 10 comprises a variably submissibie hull 12 whichhas an inner portion 13 with a flat upper side, and two upstandingrectangular shaped superstructures l4 and 15 which extend upward fromthe hull l2 and are conncted to cargo transferring apparatus 11. As bestillustrated in FIG. 1, the hull 12 has two parallel pontoon typesections 16 and 17 which each have ports such as the respective ports 18and 19 for admitting or exhausting water to reduce or increase thebuoyancy of the hull. Attached to one end of each of the respectivepontoon type sections 16 and'17 is a motor and connected propeller, oneof which is shown and designated by the number 20, for propelling thecargo transferring vessel 10 through the water. Another motor andconnected propeller 21 is attached to the side of the pontoon typesection 17 for maneuvering the cargo transferring vessel 10 intoposition to transfer cargo.

The cargo transferring apparatus, 11 comprises two elongated rectangularshaped rails 22 and 23, four vertically mounted elongated cylindricalsupports, three of which are illustrated and designated by the numbers24, 25, and 26, and two rail supports 27 and 28 which are connected tothe rails and to the tops of the cylindrical supports. The cargotransferring apparatus 11 also includes a cargo handling carriage 29 andan associated hoist 30. The cargo handling carriage is movably connectedto the two rails 22 and 23 and is capable of moving along the rails. Asbest illustrated in FIG. 2, each rail 22 and 23 has two sections, suchas the sections 31 and 32 which are shown for the rail 23, which arepivotally mounted on the respective rail supports 27 and 28 so that theymay be pivoted upward to clear the superstructure of a large ship in amanner which will be hereinafter more fully described. The fourvertically mounted posts, including the posts 24, 25, and 26 arevertically movable by a hydraulic system, which is not shown since suchsystems are well known in the art, so that the rail supports 27 and 28,the two connected rails 22 and 23, and the cargo handling carriage 29and associated hoist 30 can be elevated. Located on the outside of thesuperstructure 14 is a small ship stabilizing apparatus 33 which is usedto exert a downward force on a small ship to stabilize the small shipwhen it comes alongside the cargo transferring vessel 10. Thestabilizing apparatus 33 comprises two parallel mounted L-shapedfork-lift like projections 34 and 35 and each projection is connected toan arm, such as the arm 36 illustrated in FIG. 2, which rides in therespective slots 37 or 38 and are moved up or down by the action of ahydraulic system (not shown) to raise or lower the projections locatedin the superstructure 14.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, means for contacting and variablyconforming to the bottom of the hull of a large ship generallydesignated by the number 39 are located on the top of the inner portion13 of the hull and comprise four identical wheel assemblies 40, 41, 42,and 43 which are located in a rectangular shaped pattern. Since the fourwheel assemblies are substantially identical only one of the assemblies,assembly 43, will be described. The wheel assembly 43 comprises amounting member 45 whose lower end is rigidly secured to upper surfaceor deck of the inner portion 13 of the hull 12, a cross arm 346 which ispivotally connected at its center to the upper end of the mountingmember by means of a pin 47, and two axles 48 and 49 which extendthrough and are pivotally connected to the opposite ends of the crossarm 46. The wheel assembly also includes axle mounting members 50 and 51which are 'rotatably mounted on the ends of the axle 48 and similar axlemounting members 52 and 53 which are rotatably mounted on the ends ofthe axle 49. Each axle mounting member 50, 51, 52, and 53 has respectiveaxle projections 54 and 55, 56'and 57, 58 and 59, and 60 and 61extending from its sides which rotatably mount respective wheels 62 and63, 64 and 65, 66 and 67, and 68 and 69. In view of the construction ofthe wheel assemblies, such as the assembly 43, the wheels are capable ofcontacting and conforming to the bottom of a ships hull even if the hullhas a curved or irregular shape either fore and aft or from starboard toport and the wheels are also capable of conforming to different contoursof the bottom of the ships hull which may be present at differentlocations along the same hull.

As best illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, means for contacting and variablyconforming to the sides of a portion of the hull of a large shipdesignated generally by the number 70 are connected to the inside wallsof the superstructures l4 and 15 and comprise identical wheel assemblies71 and 72 located on the interior wall of the superstructure l4 andidentical wheel assemblies 73 and 74 located on the interior wall of thesuperstructure 15. Since the wheel assemblies 71, 72, 73, and 74 areidentical only the wheel assembly 74 will be discussed in detail. Thewheel assembly 74 comprises a mounting member 75 rigidly connected tothe interior wall of the superstructure 15, an extension arm 76 with itsinner end pivotally connected to outer end of the mounting member 75 bymeans of the pin 77, and a wheel mounting member 78 having axleprojections 79 and 80 extending from its sides which is rotatablymounted on the outer end of the mounting member 76. Wheels 81 and 82 arerotatably mounted on the outer ends of the respective axle projections79 and 80. A large compression spring 83 has one of its ends connectedto the interior side of the arm 76 and its other end connected to theinterior wall of the superstructure l5 and this spring serves to biasthe arm 76 in an outward direction.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate the cargo transferring vessel in usetransferring cargo between a larger ship 84 and a smaller ship orlighter 85. The hull 12 of the cargo transferring vessel 10 and portionsof its superstructures 14 and have been submerged in the water byadmitting water into ports such as the ports 18 and 19 in the respectivepontoon sections 16 and 17 in order that the wheels such as the wheels62, 63, 66, and 67 of the means for contacting and conforming to thebottom of the hull 39 can be brought into contact with and conform tothe bottom of the hull of the larger ship 84. In addition, the wheelssuch as the wheels 81 and 82 of the means for contacting and variablyconforming to the sides of the hull of the larger ship are in contactwith and conform to the contour of the sides of the hull of the largership. The L-shaped projections, one of which is shown and designated bythe number 35, are also in place under the smaller ship 85 and cables,one of which is shown and designated by the number 86, are connected tothe respective L-shaped projections and extend upward over the hull ofthe smaller ship to exert a downward force against the hull of thesmaller ship to stabilize it and to prevent relative mo tion between thesmaller ship and the cargo transferring vessel 10.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, for the wheel 67, one or more of thevarious'wheels of the means for contacting and conforming to the bottomof a large ship 39 may be driven by a hydraulic motor 87. The hydraulicmotor 87 is located on the end of the axle projection 59 and isconnected to the wheel 67 to drive the wheel under the control of ahydraulic system (not shown) located within the cargo transferringvessel 10 to move the cargo transferring vessel in relation to thelarger ship 84 while its wheels, suchas wheels 62 through 69, maintaincontact with the bottom of the hull of the larger vessel. The hydraulicmotor 87 permits the cargo transferring vessel 10 to be readily movedand located at various cargo transferring positions along the hull ofthe larger ship 84. The types of hydraulic motors which may be used withthis invention include hydraulic wheel motors which are available froml-Ioudaille Hydraulics Division of Houdaille Industries,-Inc. located at537 East Delarin Avenue, Buffalo, New York.

The cargo transferring vessel 10 is used and the method of thisinvention is carried out in the following manner. Once a larger shipsuch as the ship 84 has come into the location where it is to beunloaded or loaded, the cargo transferring vessel propells itself out toits vicinity through the use of its motors and connected propellers,such as the motor and connected propeller 20, and a smaller ship orlighter, such as the ship 85, is also sent out to the vicinity of thelarger ship. The cargo loading vessel 10 is then partially submerged byadmitting water into its hull 12 through ports in its hull, such as theports 18 and 19, to such an extent that the upper portions of thevarious wheels of the means for contacting and conforming to the bottomof the hull of a large ship 39 are located at a depth in the water whichis below the lowest portion of the bottom of the larger ship 84 as itrides in the water.

The cargo loading vessel 10 is then propelled through the water throughthe use of its maneuvering motor and connected propeller 21 so that theinner portion 13 of its hull 12 and the attached means for contactingand conforming to the bottom of the hull 39 are located beneath the hullportion of the larger ship 84 which is to be loaded or unloaded.Alternatively, the cargo handling vessel 10 can remain stationary andthe larger ship 84 can move itself into position so the bottom of itshull is over the contacting and conforming means 39. If necessary toavoid any superstructure on the larger ship 84, the sections of therails 22 and 23, such as the sections 31 and 32 of the rail 23, arepivoted upward to clear any such superstructure while the cargo loadingvessel 10 is being positioned or while the larger ship is being movedinto position. Water is then pumped out of the hull 12 of the cargotransferring ves- 7 sel 10 through ports such as the ports 18 and 19until the wheels of the four wheel assemblies 40, 41, 42, and 43, suchas the wheels 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68 and 69 are firmly in contactwith the hull of the larger ship 84 without exerting a force against thehull of the larger ship which would appreciably raise the larger ship inthe water. It should be noted that the use of the multiple wheels 62through 69 distributes the upward force caused by the buoyancy of thehull 12 of the cargo transferring vessel over a comparatively large areaof the bottom of the hull of the larger ship 84 and this prevents anydamage to the bottom of the hull of the larger ship. At the same timethe wheels of the wheel assemblies, such as the wheels 81 and 82 of thewheel assembly 74, of the means for contacting and variably conformingto the sides of the hull of the larger ship contact and conform to thesides of the portion of the hull of the larger ship which is to beloaded or unloaded to prevent or greatly reduce lateral movement betweenthe hull of the larger ship and the cargo transferring vessel 10.

The smaller ship 85 is then brought alongside the cargo transferringvessel 10 and is positioned over the L-shaped extensions 34 and 35 whichhave been lowered to a depthwhich is below the depth of the bottom ofthe hull of the smaller ship. The cables, such as the cable 86, are thensecured over the hull of the smaller ship 85 and then the L-shapedextensions 34 and 35 are moved downward slightly so that the cablesexert a downward force against the hull of the smaller ship which actsagainst the upward force of the smaller ships hull due to its buoyancy.The cargo transfer operation is then carried out between the larger ship84 and the smaller ship 85 in a conventional manner through the use ofthe cargo transferring apparatus 11. in some instances, where waterconditions permit, the use of the L-shaped projections 34 and 35 and theassociated ca bles' may be dispensed with and in such cases the smallership is merely brought alongside the cargo transferring vessel 10 priorto the cargo transferring operation.

After the cargo transferring operation has been completed at onelocation along the hull of the larger ship 84, the cargo transferringvessel 10 and the smaller ship 85 may be moved to another location alongthe hull of the larger ship, such as the location indicated by thephantom lines in Fig. 6. Movement of the cargo transferring vessel 10can be accomplished through the use of one of the hydraulic motors 87 torotate the wheel 67 while it maintains contact with the bottom of thehull of the larger ship 84.

Although less desirable and less efficient, the motor and connectedpropeller 21 or cables (not shown) connected between the cargotransferring vessel and the larger ship can be used to move the cargotransferring vessel 10 along the hull of the larger ship 84. it shouldbe noted that the unique means for contacting and conforming to thebottom of the hull of the larger ship 39 and means for contacting andconforming to the sides of the hull of the larger ship 70 permit suchmovement of the cargo transferring vessel 10 since their respectivewheels rotate along the bottom and sides of the larger ship's hull andconform to changing contours in the bottom or sides of the hull.

During the cargo transferring operations, it may be desirable toincrease or decrease the buoyancy of the hull 12 of the cargotransferring vessel 10 to maintain the wheels of the hull contacting andconforming means 39 in contact with the bottom of the hullof the largership without exerting a force against the bottom of the hull which wouldtend to appreciably raise the bottom of the hull of the larger shipabove its normal unsupported depth as the location of the bottom of thehull in the water changes as a result of the addition of cargo to or theremoval of cargo from the larger ship. in a similar manner it may bedesirable to raise or lower the projections 34 and 35 to maintain amoderate downward force through the cables, such as the cable 86, on thehull of the smaller ship as cargo is added or removed from the smallership. Similar adjustments in the buoyancy of the hull 12 of the cargotransferring vessel 10 and the projections 34 and 35 may be desirable asthe cargo transferring vessel is moved to various locations along thehull of the larger ship 84.

Although the invention has been described in considerable detail withreference to a certain prepared embodiment, it will be understood thatvariations and modifications may be made within the spirit and scope ofthe invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A cargo handling vessel for transferring cargo between a larger and asmaller ship comprising a variably submersible hull, said variablysubmersible hull having a portion thereof adapted to be submerged belowthe hull of said larger ship, means connected to said hull portion forcontacting and variably conforming to the contours of the bottom of thehull of said larger ship, means operatively connected to the hull ofsaid cargo handling vessel for exerting a downward force against saidsmaller ship which acts against the buoyancy of said smaller ship forpreventing relative motion between said cargo handling vessel and saidsmaller ship, said force exerting means having a portion thereofextendable outward in the water from the hull of said cargo handlingvessel at a level below the hull of said smaller ship as said smallership rides in the water and means located on the hull of said cargohandling vessel for transferring cargo between said larger and smallerships.

2. A cargo handling vessel for transferring cargo between a larger and asmaller ship comprising; a variably submersible hull, said variablysubmersible hull having a portion thereof adapted to be submerged belowthe hull of said larger ship; means connected to said hull portion forcontacting and variably conforming to the contours of the bottom, of thehull of said larger ship; and cargo transferring means for transferringcargo between said larger and smaller ships comprising two separatedsuperstructures extending upward from said hull, at least one verticallymovable post connected to each superstructure, at least one cross railconnected to the upper ends of said posts, and cargo hoisting meansmovably connected to said cross rail.

3. The cargo transferring vessel of claim 2 wherein said cross railcomprises two sections and wherein said two sections are pivotallyconnected to said posts.

4. A method for transferring cargo between a larger ship and a smallership comprising the steps of providing a variably submersible vesselhaving cargo transferring equipment and means for contacting andvariably conforming to a portion of the bottom of the hull of saidlarger ship, partially submerging said variably submersible vessel to adepth in the water at which said means for contacting and variablyconforming to the bottom of the hull of said larger ship is locatedbelow the depth of the bottom of the hull of said larger ship as itrides in the water, positioning said means for contacting and variablyconforming to the bottom of the hull of said larger ship underneath aportion of the bottom of said larger ship, raising the level of saidvariably submersible vessel in the water to permit said means forcontacting and variably conforming to the bottom of the hull of saidlarger ship to exert an upward pressure on the bottom of the hull ofsaid larger ship without appreciably raising the hull of said largership, bringing said smaller ship into the vicinity of said variablysubmersible vessel, transferring cargo between said'larger ship and saidsmaller ship through the use of said cargo transferring equipment, andadjusting the depth of said variably submersible vessel in the water topermit said means for contacting and variably conforming to the hull ofsaid larger ship to continue to contact and conform to the bottom of thehull of the larger ship and to exert an upward pressure thereon withouttending to appreciably raise the bottom .of the hull of said larger shipto compensate for changes in the depth of the bottom of the hull of saidlarger ship occurring as a result of the transfer of cargo between saidlarger and smaller ships. 7

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising the steps of providing meanson said variably submersible vessel for contacting and variablyconforming to the sides of the hull of said larger ship and bring saidmeans for contacting and variably conforming to the sides of the hull ofsaid larger ship into contact with the sides of the hull of said largership while raising the level of said variably submersible vessel in thewater to permit said means for contacting and variably conformingto thebottom of the hull of said larger ship to contact and variably conformto the bottom of the hull of said larger ship.

6. A method for transferring cargo between a larger ship and a smallership comprising the steps of providing a variably submersible vesselhaving cargo transferring equipment and means having rotatable membersfor contacting and variably conforming to a portion of the bottom of thehull of said larger ship, partially submerging said variably submersiblevessel toa depth in the water at which said means for contacting andvariably conforming to the bottom of the hull of said larger ship islocated below the depth of the bottom of the hull of said larger ship asit rides in the water, positioning said means for contacting andvariably conforming to the bottom of the hull of said larger shipunderneath a portion of the bottom of said larger ship, raising thelevel of said variably submersible vessel in the water to permit saidmeans for contacting and variably conforming to the bottom of the hullof said larger ship to exert an upward pressure on the bottom of thehull of said larger ship without appreciably raising the hull of saidlarger ship, bringing said smaller ship into the vicinity of saidvariably submersible vessel, transferring cargo between said larger shipand said smaller ship through the use of said cargo transferringequipment, and changing the relative location of said variablysubmersible vessel and said larger ship while maintaining said rotatablemembers rotating in contact with a portion of the bottom of the hull ofsaid larger ship.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said step of changing the relativelocation of said variably submersible vessel and said larger ship whilemaintaining said rotatable members in rotating contact with a portion ofthe bottom of the hull of said larger ship includes adjusting the depthof said variably submersible vessel to compensate for variations in thedepth of portions of the bottom of the hull of said larger ship due tohull design.

8. A cargo handling vessel for transferring cargo between a larger and asmaller ship comprising a variably submersible hull, said variablysubmersible hull having a portion thereof adapted to be submerged belowthe hull of said larger ship, means connected to the hull of said cargohandling vessel for contacting and conforming to the contours of thebottom of the hull of said larger ship comprising at least one wheelassemlby having wheels for contacting and variably conforming to thebottom of the hull of said larger ship, at least one motor operativelyconnected to one of the wheels of said. wheel assembly for providingpower to cause rotation of said wheel, and means located on the hull ofsaid cargo handling vessel for transferring cargo between said largerand smaller ships.

9. A cargo handling vessel'for transferring cargo between a larger and asmaller ship comprising a variably submersible hull, said variablysubmersible hull having a portion thereof adapted to be'submerged belowthe hull of said larger ship, means connected to the hull of said cargohandling vessel for contacting and variably conforming to the contoursof the bottom of the hull of said larger ship comprising at least onewheel assembly having wheels for contacting and variably conforming tothe bottom of the hull of said larger ship, means connected to the hullof said cargo handling vessel for contacting and variably conforming tothe sides of the hull of said larger ship, and means located on the hullof said cargo handling vessel for transferring cargo between said largerand smaller ships.

1. A cargo handling vessel for transferring cargo between a larger and asmaller ship comprising a variably submersible hull, said variablysubmersible hull having a portion thereof adapted to be submerged belowthe hull of said larger ship, means connected to said hull portion forcontacting and variably conforming to the contours of the bottom of thehull of said larger ship, means operatively connected to the hull ofsaid cargo handling vessel for exerting a downward force against saidsmaller ship which acts against the buoyancy of said smaller ship forpreventing relative motion between said cargo handling vessel and saidsmaller ship, said force exerting means having a portion thereofextendable outward in the water from the hull of said cargo handlingvessel at a level below the hull of said smaller ship as said smallership rides in the water and means located on the hull of said cargohandling vessel for transferring cargo between said larger and smallerships.
 2. A cargo handling vessel for transferring cargo between alarger and a smaller ship comprising; a variably submersible hull, saidvariably submersible hull having a portion thereof adapted to besubmerged below the hull of said larger ship; means connected to saidhull portion for contacting and variably conforming to the contours ofthe bottom of the hull of said larger ship; and cargo transferring meansfor transferring cargo between said larger and smaller ships comprisingtwo separated superstructures extending upward from said hull, at leastone vertically movable post connected to each superstructure, at leastone cross rail connected to the upper ends of said posts, and cargohoisting means movably connected to said cross rail.
 3. The cargotransferring vessel of claim 2 wherein said cross rail comprises twosections and wherein said two sections are pivotally connected to saidposts.
 4. A method for transferring cargo between a larger ship and asmaller ship comprising the steps of providing a variably submersiblevessel having cargo transferring equipment and means for contacting andvariably conforming to a portion of the bottom of the hull of saidlarger ship, partially submerging said variably submersible vessel to adepth in the water at which said means for contacting and variablyconforming to the bottom of the hull of said larger ship is locatedbelow the depth of the bottom of the hull of said larger ship as itrides in the water, positioning said means for contacting and variablyconforming to the bottom of the hull of said larger ship underneath aportion of the bottom of said larger ship, raising the level of saidvariably submersible vessel in the water to permit said means forcontacting and variably conforming to the bottom of the hull of saidlarger ship to exert an upward pressure on the bottom of the hull ofsaid larger ship without appreciably raising the hull of said largership, bringing said smaller ship into the vicinity of said variablysubmersible vessel, transferring cargo between said larger ship and saidsmaller ship through the use of said cargo transferring equipment, andadjusting the depth of said variably submersible vessel in the water topermit said means for contacting and variably conforming to the hull ofsaid larger ship to continue to contact and conform to the bottom of thehull of the larger ship and to exert an upward pressure thereon withouttending to appreciably raise the bottom of the hull of said larger shipto compensate for changes in the depth of the bottom of the hull of saidlarger ship occurring as a result of the transfer of cargo between saidlarger and smaller ships.
 5. The method of claim 4 further comprisingthe steps of providing means on said variably submersible vessel forcontacting and variably conforming to the sides of the hull of saidlarger ship and bring said means for contacting and variably conformingto the sides of the hull of said larger ship into contact with the sidesof the hull of said larger ship while raising the level of said variablysubmersible vessel in the water to permit said means for contacting andvariably conforming to the bottom of the hull of said larger ship tocontact and variably conform to the bottom of the hull of said largership.
 6. A method for transferring cargo between a larger ship and asmaller ship comprising the steps of providing a variably submersiblevessel having cargo transferring equipment and means having rotatablemembers for contacting and variably conforming to a portion of thebottom of the hull of said larger ship, partially submerging saidvariably submersible vessel to a depth in the water at which said meansfor contacting and variably conforming to the bottom of the hull of saidlaRger ship is located below the depth of the bottom of the hull of saidlarger ship as it rides in the water, positioning said means forcontacting and variably conforming to the bottom of the hull of saidlarger ship underneath a portion of the bottom of said larger ship,raising the level of said variably submersible vessel in the water topermit said means for contacting and variably conforming to the bottomof the hull of said larger ship to exert an upward pressure on thebottom of the hull of said larger ship without appreciably raising thehull of said larger ship, bringing said smaller ship into the vicinityof said variably submersible vessel, transferring cargo between saidlarger ship and said smaller ship through the use of said cargotransferring equipment, and changing the relative location of saidvariably submersible vessel and said larger ship while maintaining saidrotatable members rotating in contact with a portion of the bottom ofthe hull of said larger ship.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein said stepof changing the relative location of said variably submersible vesseland said larger ship while maintaining said rotatable members inrotating contact with a portion of the bottom of the hull of said largership includes adjusting the depth of said variably submersible vessel tocompensate for variations in the depth of portions of the bottom of thehull of said larger ship due to hull design.
 8. A cargo handling vesselfor transferring cargo between a larger and a smaller ship comprising avariably submersible hull, said variably submersible hull having aportion thereof adapted to be submerged below the hull of said largership, means connected to the hull of said cargo handling vessel forcontacting and conforming to the contours of the bottom of the hull ofsaid larger ship comprising at least one wheel assemlby having wheelsfor contacting and variably conforming to the bottom of the hull of saidlarger ship, at least one motor operatively connected to one of thewheels of said wheel assembly for providing power to cause rotation ofsaid wheel, and means located on the hull of said cargo handling vesselfor transferring cargo between said larger and smaller ships.
 9. A cargohandling vessel for transferring cargo between a larger and a smallership comprising a variably submersible hull, said variably submersiblehull having a portion thereof adapted to be submerged below the hull ofsaid larger ship, means connected to the hull of said cargo handlingvessel for contacting and variably conforming to the contours of thebottom of the hull of said larger ship comprising at least one wheelassembly having wheels for contacting and variably conforming to thebottom of the hull of said larger ship, means connected to the hull ofsaid cargo handling vessel for contacting and variably conforming to thesides of the hull of said larger ship, and means located on the hull ofsaid cargo handling vessel for transferring cargo between said largerand smaller ships.